


Misstep

by gahlifre



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Awkward Romance, Awkward Sexual Situations, Children, Everything is Awkward and Slow, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Sex, Pregnancy, Slow Burn, Time Babies, but they love each other a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-03-06 22:46:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3151109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gahlifre/pseuds/gahlifre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was one night, one mistake, back when the Doctor wore a waistcoat and bowtie. But now, amidst all the lies in her life, Clara struggles to hide from everyone, and especially the Doctor, that she's pregnant- with his child. Clara/12 babyfic, mature themes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mistake

Clara Oswald had become a master of lies.

There was a time, when she was a good little girl, that she would have thought honesty was a virtue, one of the things that the human race should always aspire to exhibit.

But that was until she started traveling with the Doctor.

Seeing the universe with the Doctor was one of the most amazing parts of her life. However, her travels with the Time Lord had showed her that it was not always in your best interest to tell the truth. It was hard to look someone in the eye, and tell them they would not be okay. That they wouldn't live through the night.

Honesty hurts more than helps sometimes.

The tile in her bathroom flat was starting to grow cold and uncomfortable underneath her feet, but Clara had no want to get off of the toilet she was on. She stared at the stick in her hands, unwilling to believe what was in front of her.

Two straight blue lines.

She was **_pregnant._**

OOO

_"If you would come right this way please, Ms. Oswald," the nurse asked her._

_Clara stood up from her chair in the waiting area, shivering a bit as the brown-haired woman led her into the room for her ultrasound. Clara hated medical tests, but after the doctor's office had pestered her for almost two months, calling every day to say that she was overdue for a checkup, she had reluctantly decided to finally make a visit._

_"You can lie down now," the nurse stated, pointing to the padding in the room that they had walked into. Clara obliged, climbing onto the bedding and lying on her back as the nurse instructed. She watched as the woman gathered her materials and turned the ultrasound machine on, putting a glob of jelly on the cursor that she placed on the area of the stomach that Clara had revealed underneath her shirt._

_For a while, nothing out of the ordinary happened. The Impossible Girl looked up at the darkened ceiling in the room, and counted the number of tiles above her. When she had counted those, she wondered where Danny might take her for their date tomorrow night. Hopefully he wouldn't take them out for Italian again, Clara sighed._

_And then her thoughts wandered to the Doctor. He would come to pick her up on Friday, he had said, and promised her that they would go to Barcelona the planet, where there were dogs without noses. She had to admit she was excited about that. It was nice to be traveling with him again, after their stint on the Orient Express in space- she had never really realized how much she needed the adventure._

_Just as she was about to compose a list to give to Danny of the restaurants she liked that didn't serve any kind of Italian food, Clara heard some nervous fidgeting from the nurse, and turned her head to look at her. "Is everything alright?" she asked, concerned._

_"Oh, nothing. Nothing's really the matter, I just got to-" the nurse coughed. "Um, well, something interesting's popped up on your ultrasound, and I just want to run it over with Doctor Goddard, if that's alright with you, I mean."_

_"Uh, yeah, sure. Of course," Clara replied, growing more worried by the second but refusing to show it. "You go ahead."_

_The nurse nodded her thanks and clicked some keys on her keyboard before shutting the ultrasound machine off and rushing out of the room._

_Clara continued to stare at the ceiling, in a bit of a panic, running over all the potential maladies she could have, running over how much of her income she would need to spend on treatments…_

_The Doctor was right, she was a control freak._

_After what seemed like a lifetime, the nurse walked back in, with Doctor Goddard behind her. "Ms. Oswald, hello," the doctor greeted her. "I hope you're doing well."_

_"Yes, of course, peachy keen," The Impossible Girl replied, still nervous._

_"Is it okay if we do some more scanning?" The man asked, pointing to the ultrasound machine. "Greta here noticed something on your ultrasound and I just wanted to check it out more, to give you the best explanation of what is going on that I can."_

_"Yes," Clara conceded, her voice barely a whisper._

_And so Doctor Goddard put the cursor on her stomach again, and peered at the screen, Greta the nurse alternating between looking at the screen and glancing furtively at Clara._

_"Ah, you're right Greta. You are very right," the doctor ultimately spoke, and then turned towards Clara. "You can get up now."_

_She pulled down her shirt and then cautiously put her feet on the ground, getting off of the padding. Clara glanced at Doctor Goddard as he swiveled the screen of the machine towards her. "Clara," he said slowly. "Have you recently been trying to become pregnant?"_

_The woman stopped in her tracks, and let out a nervous giggle. "What-what do you mean?" she asked._

_"I'm saying, Ms. Oswald, that during your ultrasound, we discovered… well… you're pregnant," the doctor blurted out._

_The whole room seemed to spin around her, and Clara could hardly breathe. Pregnant?_

_"With a baby?" she squeaked, looking at the nurse and the doctor. "Me?"_

_"Um, well… with twins actually," Doctor Goddard said. "We know this can come as a shock to many, Clara," the man tried to comfort her. "But see here, on your ultrasound? There they are." He pointed to an image on the screen, and started to point out all the different aspects of the life apparently inside her._

_But Clara couldn't dare herself to stare at that screen. A baby? No, this couldn't be possible, it was just some sort of dream, a nightmare…_

_"…There's only one thing that's strange however, though you mustn't be afraid about it, Ms. Oswald." She finally tuned back into her doctor's rambling. "When looking at your images, we can make out two hearts you see, but only one body." The man shrugged. "This does sometimes happen though, with our limited imagery, and in no way means any harm will come to the twin."_

_Clara's felt like she would get sick all over the floor right then and there._

_Two hearts, of course._

_"…By the rate of development seen, we'd guess you're about three months along, Clara." Doctor Goddard finished. "Congratulations," he smiled._

_Congratulations indeed, the Impossible Girl thought._

_"I need to leave," she found herself saying, gathering up the purse that she had placed near the ultrasound table._

_"Clara, we know-" Greta the nurse started._

_"Please," the woman pleaded. "Please let me leave."_

_"Would you like us to contact an OB/GYN first, it would-" Doctor Goddard questioned._

_"NO! No, I mean, no, no. Thanks, thanks though. I'll- I'll do it myself." Clara stuttered, and pushed past the doctor and the nurse into the hallway, where she rushed out of the office as quickly as she could._

_She continued running as fast as she could possibly manage, until she realized she had gone across almost half of London to the chemist across the street from her flat. Though she was utterly embarrassed, and knew she'd probably be the talk of the complex that night, she bought a package of pregnancy tests and a chocolate bar (she was hungry!) and headed home, immediately rushing to the toilet to pee on the stick that would determine her future…_

OOO

Clara had cast glances at the blue lines three times, just to make sure they were really, properly real. But none of the lines disappeared, or wavered in front of her sight. Doctor Goddard had been right.

She, Clara Oswald, was pregnant.

The woman wondered if she should start crying or screaming next, but as much as she tried to form a coherent thought, or say anything, she couldn't. She just couldn't believe that this had happened. That this had happened to her.

She had been tied to a post for hours in an alien desert, and had survived an Ice Warrior attack on a Soviet submarine. She had fallen through a time stream, for god's sake, torn into a million different versions of herself.

So how come two blue lines seemed like the scariest thing in the world?

 _It would've been a lot easier if it was Danny's_ , Clara thought. _Good old human Danny Pink._

But it couldn't be his… she had never had sex with him yet, she was barely on her fifth date with him. There was only one man she had had any sexual relationship with in the time that this baby could have been conceived.

One Time Lord.

It had been a mistake. A step in the wrong direction, but it had happened, back when the Doctor still wore a bowtie and a purple waistcoat…

OOO

_"Come on, Clara!" The Eleventh Doctor yelled, leaning on the TARDIS console. "I've landed on Amorentia. You won't believe it!"_

_"I'm coming!" Clara shouted back. She ran up the steps to the control room, and ran to where the Time Lord was standing next to the buttons and levers that made up the console of the time machine. "What have you got in store for me now, Chinny?"_

_"Chinny! Oi!" The Doctor said, offended. "My chin's not that big!"_

_"If it makes you sleep at night," the companion shrugged._

_"Oi!" the bow-tied alien remarked again as Clara laughed at the ridiculous expression on his face. "You're just trying to rile me up, you are."_

_"You caught me," Clara said, still grinning. "So." She patted the console. "Where did you say we were again?"_

_"Ah yes! Right!" the man said, beckoning the Impossible Girl to the doors of the TARDIS. "Amorentia!" he began, putting his hand on her shoulder while making grand hand gestures. "Right outside those doors lies a land that's totally pink- pink clouds, grass, you name it."_

_"You're leading me on," the woman smirked._

_"Absolutely not. I'm telling you the truth," the Doctor replied._

_"Then show me, Clever Boy," Clara shot back._

_And with a pompous push of his arms, the Time Lord opened the entryway. He was right, Clara realized. The clouds were pink, and so was everything else. The houses, the grass, the leaves on the trees- even the people of the planet, she noticed, were various shades of the color, or red or white. "It's like a Valentine's Day card come to life," the girl noted._

_"Indeed, Clara Oswald. And we're going to explore it!" the man shouted, and ushered her outside, closing the doors to the time machine behind them._

_They walked around the town for a while, gazing at the beautiful sights. The duo browsed a few shops too, where Clara took an instant liking to the perfume collections. Finally, the human and Time Lord found themselves sitting underneath a large pink-leaved tree, the bags of fragrances they had bought forgotten._

_The brown-haired woman looked at the man next to her. She had stared at the Doctor many times in her life, but somehow… this time was different. His floppy hair, his chiseled chin and lanky figure seemed more attractive than it ever had before._

_Usually when Clara glanced at the Time Lord, he was never watching at her as well. He was always jumping around, punching buttons on the TARDIS, or moving about in some way. But this time, he was looking at her. Really, truly looking at her, not as if he was viewing a ghost, but appreciating the Clara Oswald that was there with him right then._

_"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" The Doctor eventually whispered out of the silence, still staring at Clara._

_Her heart fluttered. "You're quite beautiful too," she said back to him._

_Clara's heart continued to pound as the Eleventh Doctor's face lit up in one of his irresistible smiles. "Not half as much as you are," he mused. "My Clara."_

_Something started to float within the woman, lifting her up almost into the pink clouds above them. An urge raced through her, an absolutely uncontrollable urge- and she kissed the Time Lord._

_And he kissed her back. He didn't push her from him, or scold her, but deepened the kiss, bringing her closer. The Impossible Girl sighed and pulled away, only to find the Doctor's lips still next to hers again, practically begging for another peck. So she gave it to him._

_More and more kisses seemed to float around then, each one longer and deeper than the one before. Clara's body shivered as the Time Lord started caressing her, his fingers bordering around her breasts. A moan escaped her lips and their eyes locked as they both realized the possibilities in front of them._

_They could take this farther._

_Their kisses came evermore in frenzy, and both Clara and the Doctor's strokes- on their torsos and lower body- increased. Clara could sense the Time Lord edging towards her pants, and she was about to oblige and take them off, when a sense of decency and reality came to her._

_"TARDIS first," she groaned, hating to push him off of her._

_Though he sighed as well, the bow-tied man agreed with her. "TARDIS first."_

_They ran through Amorentia faster than Clara was sure she had ever run before. The Doctor fiddled with his keys, and unlocked the doors as the woman laid down her perfume and immediately ran over to him again. Grinning, the Time Lord grasped her hand and they raced through the time machine and into a bedroom._

_The pecks started again then, starting slow and shallow and then progressing to an even faster pace, and the Doctor started to stroke his fingers down her face. Clara sighed as his hands eventually made their way down to her breasts again and finally slid down her body towards her pants, which she moaned in pleasure as he took off._

_Clara rushed to take the rest of her clothes off, throwing in a corner the black polka-dotted dress she had been wearing. She turned to the Time Lord to find that he had taken off his usual wardrobe as well, and stood as naked as she was, even his precious bowtie thrown in a corner. The woman glanced to look at his manhood, and expected to find something alien there, but found nothing but a very well-endowed penis._

_They made their way to the bed and thrust themselves together then, groaning in delight. Time seemed to become meaningless around them, as the Doctor and Clara's bodies mingled into one. Pleasure coursed through them until the two found they could go no longer, and instead pulled the covers on themselves and snuggled close, huddling in each other's warmth._

_And Clara Oswald's last thought before she went to sleep was how wonderful her night had been._

OOO

She had managed to get off the toilet somehow, and had thrown her pregnancy test in the trash, pulling paper towels over it so she wouldn't have to glance at the horror it revealed again.

Clara raced to the living room and stared at the wall above her bookshelves, remembering waking up that morning on the TARDIS to no Time Lord in the bed next to her. How she blamed herself for hours in those sheets for being so stupid, and instigating such an act.

She remembered putting on her clothes again, ultimately making her way into the console room. The Doctor wouldn't even meet her eyes as he tinkered with the time machine's equipment and rambled about how he was sorry, that he didn't know the Amorentian air was actually filled with a gas that acted much as an aphrodisiac to Time Lords and humans.

_Please forgive me Clara._

And she forgave him, and tried to forget. After all, what could result from it? Many awkward weeks of tension, sure, but nothing else, right?

Clara gazed down to her stomach. Pregnancy explained a lot of things that had happened in recent months, really. Her stomach had started to slightly protrude, though she hadn't understood as she had been eating healthily and running with Dan the Soldier Man every other day. She had had terrible nausea for the past few months as well, but had always put it down to nervousness or food poisoning or some other reason.

It was hard to imagine that a tiny little life was inside her, but Clara couldn't deny it now. She was pregnant. With a half alien baby.

She couldn't ever think of how to tell the Doctor.

 _He had to go and regenerate didn't he?_ The woman thought angrily. _He made me have to learn to trust him all over again._

Clara knew she wasn't being fair, that the Doctor hadn't wanted to regenerate any more than she had wanted him to. But the thought of standing up to that old Scottish face, explaining to him that she was pregnant with his child, made her want to burst into tears.

There was Danny too, she hadn't even thought about him. She had to go on a date with him tomorrow night! When she was pregnant with another man's baby! And her father, and her gran, they would have to know as well, and she would have to tell them that she'd been flying off with an alien from the planet Gallifrey for more than a year. And then, casually, she would have to mention that she had had sex with another face of his and the man had regenerated and now she was pregnant!

Overwhelmed, the woman finally did break into sobs, sitting down on the ground and rocking back and forth. Clara tried to convince herself desperately that this wasn't real, and she was in a nightmare. But deep down she knew this pain hurt more than she would ever deal with in a dream.

The lies. She couldn't take the lies anymore.

Clara found herself grabbing a stack of post-it notes from the kitchen counter and fishing a pen out of her purse. She wrote down every lie on each piece of paper that she had ever told in the past few months.

_Courtney. Robin Hood. Boneless. Maisie._

_Lying..._

_Just say it._

For the last note, she couldn't bring herself to write baby, or even the word pregnant. Instead, Clara remembered how far along Doctor Goddard had said she was in her pregnancy.

 _Three months_ , she scribbled down.

And so Clara Oswald stood up to get her cell phone to call Danny.

She had to start revealing the truth to someone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a week ago I had this idea, and I really didn't want to write it because I'm writing so many things down already... but I caved to my writing itch and started writing anyways.
> 
> There are going to be mature themes, as I'm sure you've seen, with the sex mentions and such (I hope that scene wasn't too terrible, hah.)
> 
> If you wanted the timeline of this, it takes place right before the events of Dark Water/Death in Heaven, and the next chapter will start off after those episodes take place... and who knows what will happen then?
> 
> I love you all, and thanks for reading! Be sure to review and favourite and follow, to let me know if I should continue. Thank you again guys!
> 
> (Also I'm still trying to figure out how this AO3 thing goes since I've always really written at fanfiction.net so please don't kill me alright.)
> 
> Again, much love!


	2. Telling

Somehow, she continued to live.

Ever since she had decided to phone Danny, if it was even possible, Clara's life had started to spiral more out of control than it had been. Danny was dead. The Doctor was gone, and was most likely never going to be back. Oh, and there was also the fact that she was  _pregnant_.

It seemed she was always pep-talking herself, always trying to make her way out of bed and get moving, just so she could forget. She volunteered as a chaperone for numerous school trips, always talked at parent's nights to try to get her mind off all of her losses. But no matter how much Clara tried to forget, she just couldn't.

_Danny as a Cyberman, the pain in his face evident as he looked at her, pleading for the last of his humanity, the last of her love for him. Betraying the Doctor, and yet him still going to hell for her, saying that he was exactly what she deserved…_

Clara rushed through the kitchenette of her flat, trying to find her wallet and her purse. Assembly started at eight thirty, and it was already eight o'clock- she had to hurry. She huffed as she searched frantically through the kitchen's contents. The woman was leaning down to look in a drawer when she felt something that caused her to almost fall over backwards.

Her… her stomach had moved. It didn't feel like a hunger pain, or cramping, or even a bit of gas coming through. Clara started to panic. Then what was it?

But then glancing down at her midriff, she remembered the life inside of her.

Then it happened again. A light punch to the belly, a little tiny kick or fist pump into her stomach.  _A motion from her child._

The human girl's mind twisted with questions. Was this even supposed to happen so early? What was the length of Gallifreyan pregnancies anyway? How could she even manage to keep this baby if she didn't know anything about its gestation at all? She knew nothing about being a mother! She was going to be terrible; this baby shouldn't have her as a parent, of all beings in the universe. She was a failure, an embarrassment…

And like she had done a seemingly infinite number of times since she had learned of her pregnancy, Clara started to cry. Soft sniffles soon turned into wails as she completely abandoned her purse or any scheme to find her keys. Despite herself, she started to slip towards the wood floor near the oven, her face soon facing up towards the ceiling.

The floor seemed like a good place for a rest right now.

Teaching could wait.

OOO

Two weeks later she found herself leaving her flat for the weekend, to go to her gran's house for a family get-together. In all honestly Clara really didn't want to go, fearful of her dad or grandmother figuring out her pregnancy. But any distraction that could keep her mind off the fact that the Doctor was gone and that Danny was dead was welcome in the end.

The Impossible Girl sighed as she undressed in one of the guest bathrooms upstairs at her gran's. Taking off the yellow polka-dotted cardigan and blue dress that she had been wearing that evening, she thought of what had happened downstairs. It was truly nice to see her family- she loved her father, her cousins, and her gran after all. But their endless apologies about Danny and reassurances that she would be okay had really taken their toll.

Couldn't they see that she wasn't alright at all?

Clara was going to put her nightie on when she caught sight of her stomach. She tried not to look at it much, to be honest. She always felt badly about doing so- she was a mother, shouldn't she be paying more attention to her child? Shouldn't she have at least some attachment? But every time Clara managed to even think about the baby, painful memories of her boyfriend and those crazy eyebrows of the Doctor would come back to her, and then she would become a sobbing mess. And she was so very, very tired of crying, of her throat being sore and her eyes being red. She just wanted to be happy.

She just wanted a miracle.

The woman was staring at her naked body in the mirror now, turning around to view all her different parts. Though it had been almost a month since she had seen Doctor Goddard and learned of her predicament, nothing about her body had really changed. Her stomach was still only slightly protruding- so only if you were expecting her to be pregnant would you even notice it. Her breasts had become a bit tenderer, a bit bigger, that was true- but otherwise, beside the kicks and little flutters that she would feel inside her, nothing seemed to be happening.

Clara closed her eyes. Whenever she felt one of those kicks, she couldn't play her avoiding game anymore. She had to accept what was going on with her, that there was a child inside of her, a child of the Doctor, who was never coming back for her.

Suddenly, an overwhelming urge came over her, and she started to talk to her baby- the first time that she had ever done so. "It's going to be fine," the Impossible Girl whispered, gazing down at her stomach. "It's really… you know. I know it doesn't seem like it, but it's going to be fine."

She patted her bump, and laughed a little as she felt the softest of flutters hit against her. Laughter.  _She had laughed._

"Thank you," the girl breathed, not knowing who she was really thanking, but expressing the sentiment just the same. Maybe a miracle would happen after all, Clara thought as she finally managed to lower herself into bed, and dozed off into a dream…

OOO

Clara Oswald sat up in bed, taking a deep breath in as the dream crab the Doctor had sonicked fell off of her face. As quickly as she could she asked for a mirror, holding her face to it and with a rush of relief realized that after all she still was a young woman.

Then that man, that stupid, impossible old Time Lord, held out his hand and offered her the universe once again. There was no hesitation in Clara's response. Gone were the days of telling him to come back tomorrow, that she might change her mind. And with a quick peck to his cheek, the Doctor smiled and led his Impossible Girl back to the TARDIS to begin their adventures.

The woman grinned and sighed as she stepped into the time machine. The console gave a welcoming whir- so far different a greeting from the days when she had to call the spaceship a grumpy old cow. Clara continued to walk around the controls as the Doctor went on and on about where they could go next, what treasures they could find… She was about to sit down in the captain's chair in the room when she felt several hurried kicks from inside her abdominal area.

And Clara was suddenly forced to remember that she was pregnant.

She started to panic a bit. In her dream… well in her multiple dreams, really, there hadn't been any children to speak of. Even when she was an old woman, there had been no mention of having any grandchildren at all. No Mr. Clara. No Mrs. Clara. Just plain old Clara Oswald. She had been dying because of that dream crab, and her child might have died with her! But now her child was moving around, still alive (literally, still kicking) so they had to be alright, didn't they?

Besides her child's unknown state of health both in the dream world and in reality, there was also the fact that she had agreed to go gallivanting through the universe with the Doctor again. She had consented to go on those dangerous time travel adventures, where she was put in near death situations almost every single day. A real mother wouldn't subject her unborn child to that, now would she?

And then, the Doctor. Oh yes, that Caledonian gruffness. She had to tell him. She really,  _really_  had to explain to him what was going on. No more lies.  _He held my hand_ , Clara reasoned.  _He_   _was dying along with me in my dreams just to save me, and he let me travel with him again_. That had to be someone who was concerned about her, who liked her at the least. But whether the Time Lord cared for her so much that he would take to the idea of fatherhood willingly? That remained to be seen.

Clara glanced at the Doctor. He had been typing some coordinates into the TARDIS and was looking up at the screen now, still babbling something about New Earth and diamond planets. But he must have somehow sensed that she was really, truly looking at him now, so the Time Lord came to stare at her directly, one of those rare toothy grins on his face. "So," he began. "The whole universe, Clara Oswald! Where do you want to start?"

She decided to skip right to the point. No skirting around the subject… no lying. She was going to do this properly. "Doctor," she started. "Before- before we leave, and go on these crazy adventures, I just… I need to say something."

By this moment the Doctor had realized that the euphoria of their reunion was slowly dampening into more of a somber mood. His smile had turned into more of a concerned frown. 'Are you okay, Clara?" the man asked.

"Maybe I will be, once I tell you this." The Impossible Girl sighed, leaning on a bit of the console as she was ready to release all hell.

"Go on then," the Gallifreyan folded his arms, a mixture of frustration and worry flitting across his face. "What's wrong Clara?"

Her heart, her  _pitiful_ , single, human heart was pounding rapidly against her ribcage. She felt as if she might throw up- and she honestly didn't know if it was because of her pregnancy or her anxiety. " _I'mpregnantwithyourchildfromthatonetimethatwedidthethinginAmorentiaohmygodDoctorI'msosorry_." The woman managed to blurt out.

"Huh?" The Doctor questioned. His great eyebrows furrowed ferociously. "What did you say?"

" _I'mpregnantwithyourchild_ ," Clara said at a rapid fire beat, starting to pace around the console.

"You're prepared to eat chili?" The Time Lord tried to translate, utterly confused. "What on earth does that mean? That doesn't make any sense Clara. Why don't you try to say things a bit more slowly so I-"

"ALRIGHT!" The woman screamed, about to lose it. "I'M PREGNANT OKAY! AND IT'S YOURS!"

A hush spread about the time machine. Even the gentle whir of the TARDIS seemed to have stopped as a result of the gravitas of the situation.

Clara shut her eyes and continued walking around the area, avoiding the Doctor. The silence… he wasn't saying anything. "Go on then, Doctor. Say something. Please, please just say something, alright. Don't stand there with your mouth open like a codfish just… please, Doctor. Say something," she pleaded, and finally opened her eyelids.

The Time Lord, in fact, did not have his mouth open. In fact, he wasn't doing much of anything at all- just staring at her. When he ultimately did speak, what seemed like eons later, his voice was the quietest Clara had ever heard it. "That's not possible, Clara. We… we never did anything to warrant… that."

"But we did!" The Impossible Girl urged him to remember. "On Amorentia, remember? The aphrodisiac in the atmosphere? We did it. This is real, Doctor."

The Doctor was still staring at her, complete shock on his face. "But… that… that was just one time. That… that was your boyfriend." He almost spat. "Not me."

Clara had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. "Even a 'one time' can result in pregnancy, Doctor." She sighed. "And Doctor, you and your previous self… you're the same person. I know you try to deny it sometimes, but you are, okay?"

The alien looked her in the eyes now, and slowly, he started nodding his head. It started off slow and deliberate, but then took on more meaning, as he was working out the calculations in his head, the turn of events that made this all real, and his nods would help him come to the solution of absolute truth. "How… long?" he eventually questioned.

"Well, I had an ultrasound about a month ago," Clara began. "And the doctor said I was about three months along. So I should be four months, but…" She motioned to her stomach. "It doesn't look much like I'm pregnant at all." The Doctor was still studying her, trying to work out those mathematics problems in his head. And so Clara decided she needed to say, perhaps, the most prominent information about the life inside her. "Doctor… it… my…  _our_  baby. It has… two hearts."

Now the Time Lord seemed truly like a deer in the headlights. If Clara hadn't known the Doctor, she would almost say that condensation seemed to be filling his eyes. But of course, this gruff Caledonian soul never cried. The man rubbed his face before glancing back at Clara with the biggest, saddest expression Clara had ever seen and would most likely would for a long time. "It's… like me then."

Before the woman could reply, he nodded his head again. "Of course… Time Lord pregnancies, they're longer. You may have looked to be in the third month for a human pregnancy but were more likely in your fifth, or so…"

"My fifth month?" It was Clara's turn to be bewildered. "How exactly long are these Time Lord pregnancies, by chance?"

"Well, fourteen to sixteen months…" The Doctor started, and seeing the murderous glare in his Clara's eyes, quickly sprouted out the rest of the information. "Give or take." His shoulders sagged. "I'm… I'm sorry Clara. I should…"

The woman looked at the alien. He was so sad… perhaps the worst she had ever seen him in this body, almost as terrible looking as he had seemed during that hug in the café so many innocent months ago. "No, Doctor… you don't." She breathed deeply. "Really, it's both our faults, you know? So I guess we're just going to have to live with it."

"Live with it?" The man said, genuinely startled. "You're going to keep it?"

Clara soon also became shocked because of this question. He was so unsure about this whole situation that he made himself believe she was going to abort it? It was true though. At first, she had definitely been considering it. But then…

"Doctor," the Impossible Girl started. "At one point, yes. Yes, I might have." She saw his shoulders drooped and her heart panged. "In the end though, I couldn't." She smiled at him. "I want to give this a chance."

The Time Lord met her gaze and gave one of those smiles that he said he hated on her- a grin that conveyed happiness on the outside, but sadness within. The alien just stood there for a while, unable to act, before he gestured towards the doorway to the rest of the TARDIS. "Well then… Clara. It's been an awful long day. I can help you back to your bedroom if you want." He shuffled his feet, clearly uncomfortable with a situation where he couldn't act brash or sarcastic to her.

"Just because I'm pregnant, Doctor, doesn't mean I'm immobile," Clara laughed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "But I appreciate the sentiment." She looked down at the floor. "Goodnight, Doctor. Thanks for taking this so well." The woman glanced at the Gallifreyan.

"You know me. King of Okay," the man grinned- yet another fake one. "Goodnight, Clara Oswald."

And that night, as the Doctor sat dazed on the console chair for hours, and as the Impossible Girl memorized every tile on her bedroom ceiling, the two had never felt more alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD. I finished it. Finally.
> 
> I'm so sorry this took such a long time guys! My only excuse is school and the various extracurriculars I do that will (hopefully) get me into a good university.
> 
> I've been really surprised- frankly, elated- at the fact that you all have given me such positive response to this. Please keep doing so; it really helps me to write more quickly!
> 
> I know a bunch of things probably don't make sense about this, but just leave a review or PM me if you have questions. I am game for anything.
> 
> I really appreciate you all! You guys are the best. Happy Valentine's Day! If you're in a relationship, I hope you and your partner have a wonderful day. If not, don't be sad and watch some Doctor Who while microwaving macaroni and cheese. Always works for me.
> 
> Again, thanks guys! Be prepared for more information about the baby (babies?) to come soon.


	3. Hearts

6:30 AM.

That was Clara’s first thought when she awoke and shot up in bed. She didn’t know how she could place the time so perfectly, but she immediately pulled back the cover and realized something even more pressing than the current hour. Nausea coiled in her gut and she realized that she really, really, _really_ had to puke.

The woman opened her door and ran down the TARDIS hallway as quickly as she could, just hoping that the time machine would be cooperative and give her a bathroom to be sick in at the right time. Thankfully, the TARDIS seemed to be in a good mood and Clara was pleased to find a doorway to her left a little but down the hall. Muttering her thanks to the machine as she rushed into the room, she hung her head over the toilet bowl and immediately started emptying the contents of her stomach.

After the third bought of sick into the toilet, the Impossible Girl was alarmed to hear the bathroom door rattling. Why did disaster always have to happen at the least opportune time?

“Clara! Clara! Are you alright?” The woman heard the Doctor shout. She opened her mouth to reply, to yell at him _to just go away and leave her alone_ , but all that came out was yet another mouthful of the puckish green substance.

Clearly though, the Time Lord had taken her two seconds of silence as a cry for help, and to Clara’s dread she heard the sonic whirring away, and the door to the bathroom opened.

She wanted to sink into the floor and never exist again. The Doctor, the almighty alien, had to see her in this state! Completely huddled over, with sick all over the contents of the bathroom.

“Doctor, I-“Clara tried to start, but stopped at the look on the Time Lord’s face and just had to laugh. He looked completely flabbergasted and confused, and she just couldn’t help but feeling a bit sorry for him.

“Clara, what- what is all this?” the Gallifreyan asked, scowling with those huge eyebrows at both the out of character laugh and the disaster zone of a room. Yes, he resembled the quintessential, well, with the look of those eyebrows, _angry_ deer stuck in headlights. “Are you… okay?”

Feeling that her bought of nausea was basically over, the woman faced the alien. “Yeah, sorry Doctor. I’m fine now.” She shrugged. “Just some morning sickness, I guess.”

“Oh,” the Doctor said, trying to manage his composure. He was obviously trying to figure out how not to be so sarcastic. “Well, I guess we need to uh… do something about this, shouldn’t we?”

“Of course,” Clara said, getting up off the floor, more to as much of his height as she could be. “I’ll just go… change, and then I’ll clean up this mess.” She started to try to head out the door-

“No,” The Time Lord took on a fiercer, sure demeanor that was a little startling. “I’ll mop it up, Clara. You don’t need to be doing any work in your condition.”

“Doctor, again. I’m a pregnant human woman, not a china doll,” the Impossible Girl grumbled and shifted into the hallway, but secretly relieved and grateful to the Gallifreyan that she wouldn’t have to be the one to pick up all the sick.

“Don’t pretend you don’t like it,” the man called as she started to walk down the hall.

Clara smiled. Good old Doctor.

Once she had gone back to her bedroom and changed out of her sick-covered nightgown, the woman put on some clothes and then headed up to the console room, where she and the Time Lord would usually meet at the start of their adventures every day. Plopping down in the captain’s chair, she pulled out some light reading from one of her favorite novels, War and Peace.

Sometime later, Clara glanced up to see the alien coming up the stairs to the time machine’s controls. His grey curls were all ruffled, in a kind of cute, even, well, maybe… _hot_ way…

_What?_ The woman stopped herself. _Did I really just call the Doctor…?_

She shook her head, and instead called out to the man. “How was the mopping?”

The Time Lord smirked and started inputting something into the TARDIS’ database. “Bearable,” he replied.

Clara smiled and put her book down, walking over to where he was. “So, what’s on the table for today, Doctor? Pink waterfalls, dream tigers, diamond planets?”

The Doctor scoffed. “There are no pink waterfalls or dream tigers in the known universe. And diamond planets, Clara, as I have experienced firsthand, are not quite as magnificent as you might think them to be.” The man shook his head. “No. I don’t think we’re going on any adventures today.”

The woman sighed. “Doctor, look, again, I might be pregnant but I’m not…”

“I know you’re not,” The Time Lord quickly interrupted. “But I just thought that maybe, it would be best to take a day off. Lounging around, relaxing…” He coughed. “And I wanted to run some scans, you know, to see if the little…” He nervously coughed some more. “Tyke… is doing fine.”

Clara was honestly gob smacked. She hadn’t expected the alien to really much acknowledge her pregnancy in any way besides the occasional “don’t do this or that”. Though she was a little apprehensive about just what the scans might show, the Impossible Girl was struck by the concern her time-travelling companion was showing. “Of course,” she replied. “Of course, that’s fine.” Seeing the Doctor crack a bit of a wavering grin, she then added, “But I do expect to go on at least _some_ adventures.”

“I didn’t expect anything less of you, Clara Oswald,” the Time Lord stated, turning back to the controls of the TARDIS. Then, with authority. “I’ll see you in the infirmary in a tad.”

OOO

“So if you’ll just…” The Doctor moved around some furniture in the med bay. “Sit down in one of these chairs and lift up your shirt-“He pointed to a comfy leather chair in a corner towards some huge piece of medical equipment. “I’ll activate the sonic to communicate with the bio scanner and I’ll receive the results of your scan on this device.” The man held up an object what seemed to be like an iPhone.

Clara didn’t know exactly if she was in the mood to lift up her blouse to show off her stomach to the Gallifreyan, but looking at the man’s serious face she decided to just satisfy him and slowly pulled up her blue shirt, exposing her belly and the tiny bump of life below.

Maybe he didn’t want her to see it, or maybe he didn’t even recognize the motion himself, but the woman saw the Time Lord freeze as he glanced down at her. The man seemed to be taking in the situation, still running those mathematics problems in his head about how this could be probable, that his Clara Oswald could be pregnant with his child.

But the vulnerability that showed was quickly gone as the whir of the sonic and the activated scanner came to life.

After a few seconds the noise abruptly halted and Clara watched as the Doctor went to go read the results of the testing. She half expected him to immediately go into a long, boring rant about something scientific that she couldn’t begin to wrap her head around, but no sound whatsoever came from the Gallifreyan.

“Doctor, is everything fine?” The woman finally prompted after more uncomfortable silence.

She observed as the Doctor met her eyes lazily and then focused, coming back to reality. “Oh yes, everything’s… as good as it can be. Your body seems to be reacting to the fetus remarkably well, and the tots’ development is on track… you’re almost six months along in a fifteen month pregnancy, might I say…” But following this train of thought, the Time Lord became silent again, still scanning the results on the iPhone-esque equipment.

“And?” Clara prompted.

“And…” The alien caught on, gazing up at the Impossible Girl again. “Your doctor was wrong about the amount of hearts your babies have, Clara.”

“What do you mean?” The woman sputtered, her control freak emerging in the newfound panic over her child’s well-being. “Does it only have one heart? But… is that even possible? Healthy? Will they be alright? Wait… did you say _babies?”_

Clara Oswald looked at the Doctor and his face, stuck in an emotion somewhere between bewilderment and excitement at this new scientific experiment, was all she needed to confirm what information he was hiding from her. “Oh my stars,” the human woman whispered.

“There’s four hearts on this scanner,” The Time Lord continued, confirming her guesswork. “And two bodies. Congratulations Clara.” He gulped, and Clara knew that he was suddenly realizing the enormity of this situation. She was too. Finally, he finished his sentence. “You’re having twins.”

The woman sat there in a shocked silence, mulling over what her Doctor had just said. Clearly though, her absence of immediate thought on the subject startled the man and with an alarmed expression the Gallifreyan rambled a long list of questions to Clara, asking if she was okay and what he could do and-

“Doctor!” The Impossible Girl eventually uttered, both annoyed and happily tickled at his concern. “Doctor, I’m fine. In fact, I’m more than fine. This- this is wonderful. Great. Amazing.” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I mean, isn’t it?”

The Time Lord stared at her for a second before coming to his senses. “Yeah, of course. This is… surprising, yes, but awesome… and great… fantastic.” He nervously looked into her eyes. “Molto bene.”

“Molto bene,” Clara echoed, glancing down at the floor before sitting up from the chair and standing again. “Well, thank you, Doctor. For… everything.”

“Thank you. For exactly the same,” the alien replied.

The two then gazed at each other some more, maybe trying to discern the others’ feelings, maybe just confused about what to do next. But soon, the Doctor made a hand motion to the door behind him and broke the awkwardness. “Well, I have some repairs… to the Helmic Regulator to make, so…”

“Oh, yes. Right. Go on,” Clara immediately shot back, attempting to soften the uncomfortable feeling that had penetrated the room. “And I have books to read and papers to grade…” She chuckled. “My life isn’t all about you, you know.”

The man shifted his weight on the balls of the feet, having stopped as he neared the doorway. “I never said it was,” the Doctor frowned, scratching his neck.

“I know,” the woman responded, feeling more uneasy than ever. The Oncoming Storm and the Impossible Girl, staring at each other, searching for each other’s’ soul…

Finally, Clara shook her head. “See you later Doctor.” She tried to grin.

“Yeah, see you… later.” The Gallifreyan responded, throwing one more glance at her and her slightly rounded stomach before heading off for the rest of the depths of the time machine.

The woman sighed, and was about to follow after him when she caught sight of the iPhone-like device that the alien had used to scan her. Slowly and cautiously, she picked it up and stared at the image on the screen. Of two bodies, just barely identifiable as human-esque figures, each of the forms’ two hearts beating in a wonderful rhythm.

And smiling, but with tears filling her eyes, Clara Oswald thought about her life ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ouch. Twelve and Clara's relationship is just kind of squeamish right now, isn't it? But things will get better soon. Or will they?
> 
> Anyways, hey guys, so good to see you again! I hope you enjoyed this installment, and please be sure to tell me what you think with reviews, favorites, follows, and the like. Again, I'm so very happy to see people liking this story. Keep doing what you're doing.
> 
> I just wanted to announce that I will be taking a break from this story- not a long one, don't worry, but I'm focusing on finishing another one of my stories right now (which for now you can find on my fanfiction.net account gahlifre but hopefully it is something that I will upload onto AO3 soon), so I will be working on that, and then will go back to this.
> 
> So with that note, hope you're doing well lovelies. Have a good day, week, month, year, and beyond!


	4. Growing

The only way that the atmosphere in the TARDIS could be described with after she saw the hearts of her babies on the scanner was _awkward_. Not even her English teacher vocabulary could come up with a word as fitting as that seven letter piece of language.

The Time Lord wasn’t being mean at all- hell, he was even being nicer than usual, responding to her every whim for food and drink and activities, and then some. He wasn’t uncooperative- he helped her in any way he could, kept her company when she needed it and buggered off when she didn’t.

What the Doctor was being was avoidant.

Sure, he was there when she requested it, but the rest of the time, Clara could hardly find him anywhere. He always seemed to be hiding somewhere in the depths of the time machine, and it was only when she yelled his name that he ever came running.

Even in the times that he was there, listening to her desires, the Doctor never seemed to actually paying attention to her. Instead, it was as if he was responding to just some pregnant woman that he had been enslaved to for the duration of the gestation. He never met her eyes, or looked directly at her face, always vaguely gesturing in her general location. There was no person next to Clara to feel her children’s kicks and acrobatic moves. No one there to help her through this journey.

After two weeks of such behavior, needless to say, Clara Oswald was a little, teensy, tiny wee bit peeved.

Okay, she was pretty furious.

It was in exasperation to that conduct that the woman now found herself wandering the corridors of the TARDIS.

“Please, just show me where he is,” Clara groaned to the time machine, leaning into the hallway and sighing heavily. “We need to talk, we need to sort this out, and you!-“She jabbed her finger at the ceiling in anger- “Are going to lead me to the Doctor, alright?”

She looked around all the walkways for a few moments, resolute in her action, before the TARDIS lights dimmed and the emergency bulbs running the low perimeter of the corridor started to glow brightly in a certain direction. Smiling, Clara patted the railings to her side, mentally thanking the ship for being so compliant.

Rounding a couple of corners and zig-zags, the lights ultimately gave way to a lightly yellow dusted door in the middle of a corridor with strange circular markings on it. She frowned, the unusually tailored threshold immediately striking her as strange, and tried to remember if she had ever seen such an entrance in the TARDIS before, but came up with nothing. Shrugging her shoulders, Clara grasped the door handle, ready to face whatever lied behind.

Walking into the room, the only action she seemed to be capable of was gasping and placing a hand over her mouth in shock. Her brown eyes wide, she scanned the beautiful scenery before her.

What first caught her attention was the ceiling, it was painted solid black, but that wasn’t all- stars and galaxies and universes in every color imaginable floated around the skyscape, as if it was a scale model of the whole cosmos. The other walls of the room were beautifully done as well, in a soft orange hue. To her left, there even seemed to be a sort of hologram window that projected a scene of an earth pasture, with green grass waving in the wind and a blue sky above.

Fascinated, Clara began to look more throughout the space. There were bookshelves, where she could make out the name of classic children’s books, and mats on the floor, with soft stuffed animals, toy trains, and various other playthings that she couldn’t even place a name to, from other planets and times that she might never even see. In the midst of it all, she noticed, tears in her eyes, were two blue painted wooden cribs, mobiles of planets and stars above them dancing with the universes depicted on the ceiling, with a long couch besides.

“You shouldn’t be here,” A gruff voice shook Clara out of her marveling. Startled, she turned around from the position she had been inspecting the cradles, and saw the Doctor standing there.

“I wanted to talk with you, and the TARDIS led me here,” she offered as an explanation. Pointing around the room, she asked the most pressing question on her mind. “Doctor- who is this for? Did you- did you do this?”

The Time Lord stared at the floor then, unwilling for a while to answer her question, examining his feet sullenly before he lifted his head up again. “Who else would this be for, Clara?” He finally asked, the weariness in his eyes shocking the human woman. “Do you know of any other person who is giving birth to my children?”

“I would sure hope not,” Clara chuckled, before seeking confirmation to the rest of her question. “So… you did this.” A sudden realization hit her. “This, this is what you’ve been busy with these past few days. You’ve been creating this- this place- for our children.” She smiled softly.

“Yes,” the Doctor admitted, a slight blush coming to his cheeks at her kindness that Clara thought was absolutely adorable. “I know it’s a long time really before we’ll need a nursery, but-“He gestured with his hands around the area. “I just had to… make this feel real,” the Gallifreyan explained.

Clara nodded. She understood. Ever since the revelation of her pregnancy, time had seemed to move in a dream-like, languid manner. Space turned on its head. If designing a nursery for their children gave the Doctor a chance to find some sort of anchor in the insanity of recent current events, she couldn’t deny him the comfort. The Impossible Girl glanced to the ceiling of the room yet again, with its stars and constellations. Especially such a stunning distraction.

“How did you even find me?” The voice of the Time Lord woke Clara from her starry stupor. The Doctor pointed to the door to the nursery that purported the yellow-dusted circular mess of scribbling on the front. “I wanted the TARDIS to keep this hidden.”

“I asked her for help in finding you,” Clara admitted, folding her arms. “You haven’t exactly been… very present lately, Doctor.” She sighed. “I think we both know that we need to talk. Properly.”

The Doctor grimaced at first; as this was his natural reaction to such a request, but in the end nodded his head and made his way to sit down on the couch near the cradles and motioned for Clara to take the place next to him. Grinning gratefully and uncrossing her arms (a conciliatory gesture), the woman plopped down on the cushions, briefly holding her stomach as her babies moved as a response to her changing position.

Watching these unfolding events with keen interest, the Time Lord soon decided that something must be done about the awkward silence that had suddenly filled the room after his kind offer. Letting out a breath, he said uncertainly, “So… what’s on your mind then?”

“Well, first,” Clara started, looking into his eyes, “We need to stop avoiding each other, Doctor.” The man moved to protest but the woman butted in anyways. “Yes, I know that much of your avoidance was in building this gorgeous place, and I really do appreciate that,” she acknowledged. “However, you were still avoiding me. We still never truly talked about what having these babies-“Clara rested her hands on her belly- “Will mean for the rest of our lives.”

The Doctor nodded. “I promise, Clara, that I’ll do my best to be more there for you.”

The Impossible Girl smiled back. “I know you will, you daft old man. I just needed to lay down the law. Set the bricks.”

“So you’re ready to begin your interrogation of me?” the Time Lord laughed as Clara spluttered and hit him playfully on the arm.

After calming down, Clara shook her head. “Yeah, I do have some questions, actually.”

The Doctor lifted his owlish eyebrows in an effort to persuade her to fire away.

“Okay, for one, how many more months will I be pregnant? How long has it been going on already? Everything’s kind of a jumbled mess and all timey-wimey, and you’ve basically only given me estimates of what’s going to happen, and I know you’ve most likely been doing the mathematics and research about this.” the woman began. “Two, how much Gallifreyan and how much human will they be? I know technically, about half and half, genetics and all, but what will really happen? Will they be of higher intelligence than humans? Will they have different organs and body parts? Because frankly, I’m not a Time Lord- and if they do have above average intelligence and two spleens and two hearts, will they be able to fit into a regular school? Should I keep living in my flat or should we live in the TARDIS or-“Clara let out a deep breath and promptly blushed at the Doctor’s accusatory look. “Alright, yes, I really might be interrogating you, sorry.”

“I thought so,” the Time Lord replied, shaking his head but smiling at her. “To be blunt, you’re right. I have been trying to work out all the maths and research about this pregnancy. We need to be prepared for anything that might come up, you know.” He continued after he heard Clara’s noise of confirmation. “In terms of the duration of your pregnancy, you’re very close to being in six months of development, and will likely be pregnant for eight more months, leading to a total of fourteen months. However, Clara, you’ve truly been already pregnant for over a year.”

“ _What?_ How can that-“the woman gasped, shocked at first, but then her eyes widened. “God, you’re right,” she mused. “Bowtie and I got it on in early December of my time, 2013. But how- I mean, shouldn’t I have given birth by now, then?” Clara questioned.

“Basically, Gallifreyan biology,” the Doctor responded. “It is likely that in the few weeks after when the embryo was implanted, it developed normally. However, Gallifreyan embryos have the capacity for low-level telepathy with their parents throughout a pregnancy, even from the earliest days. Therefore, this allows them to be able to sense when a parent has regenerated. And if a parent does regenerate, and the baby recognizes that, they usually stop developing along a normal time frame, instead opting to lie dormant in their current stages of development until they detect that their parents have recovered from the shock of the regeneration.” The Time Lord shrugged with a half apologetic and a half extremely embarrassed smile, glancing at Clara’s stunned and quizzical expression. “I know it’s a bit weird, by human standards.”

Shaking herself out of her stupor, the woman grinned back at the Doctor. “Yes, it’s all very strange Doctor, but I think you get used to the unusual when traveling with such an alien as yourself. It’s nothing I can’t handle.” However, a frown soon occupied her face again. “Once our babies are born, will they be any different than human children? Again, how much of them will be human, and how much of them Gallifreyan? Are there any other ways that my pregnancy might differ from a human one?”

“Most likely, they’ll be just about 50% Gallifreyan, 50% human. Genetically, anyway. Some Gallifreyan traits might be more prevalent, maybe some more human characteristics. Judging by the two hearts of each of our children though, I’d say that the Gallifreyan in them, at least in anatomy, will be predominant. They’ll probably be able to regenerate, for example.” The Time Lord winced at the thought of his children being in such pain, and stealing a look towards Clara, she seemed to feel the same. “And mature a little slower, and have a higher mental capacity at an earlier age than humans, with telepathic abilities. With regards to your pregnancy, besides the extended gestation, there won’t be much difference. Around your seventh or eighth month of pregnancy you and I might be able to sense the twins telepathically for the first time, and communicate with them to an extent. But otherwise, it will just progress as a human pregnancy.”

“That’s good to hear. You may be a weird old Time Lord, but at least you’re not too strange. There’s not too much to worry about,” Clara joked, nuzzling her head into the Doctor’s shoulder lightly.

Although tensing at first at the atypical display of physical affection, the man leaned into her touch for a while, before pulling back slowly once a thought crossed his mind. “There is something that we do need to worry about though, Clara.” His attack eyebrows furrowed. “Our children will likely be targeted. Time Lords have many enemies, and added with the amount of enemies that I’ve made personally, well…” He sighed. “We just need to be careful. At every turn. I don’t want to worry you too much, because I promise to always help you keep our babies safe, but you do have to be aware of what’s out there. What danger could come for all of us.”

Clara nodded, understanding the seriousness of his request. “Of course, Doctor, I understand.” Just then, a yawn caught her off guard, and she let out a huge drag of breath.

“Someone’s sleepy then,” the Doctor mused, before grasping Clara’s hand gently. “It’s about time that you go to bed.” The woman beamed in response and slowly used the Doctor’s support to lift herself and her growing pregnant belly off of the couch, softly blushing as she stood up fully and let go of his hand. ‘Thank you, Doctor,” she replied.

The Time Lord gave a curt nod in reply and gestured toward the nursery door, letting her walk out of it. With one last lingering glance towards the stars that he had painted on the ceiling, glittering to drive back the dark, the Doctor shut the door behind him.

“What do those circles mean?” Clara asked, pointing at the two circles with circular designs in them that graced the outside of the pastel yellow door. “It looks kind of like what’s up on the TARDIS rotors, but not quite.”

“It’s a form of my written language, Gallifreyan,” the man answered. “When the twins are born, I’ve programmed the door- really an elaborate touch interface- to display their names in the language. But for now, it just says ‘Our children.’”

“Our children,” Clara whispered, as if she silently agreed for all that phrase stood for. With a soft smile towards him (sad, but happy, why did she always have to display so many emotions at once?), she stepped ahead to walk back towards the console room.

Once they had reached the console of the TARDIS, the Impossible Girl looked over her shoulder at the Doctor just as she was about to descend the stairs to her bedroom. “Goodnight, Doctor. I’m really glad we talked,” she said.

“Me too,” the Time Lord replied. “Take care of yourself, and the little ones.”

Her smile was radiant, truly the happiest grin he had seen from her in quite a while. Although he wouldn’t have liked to admit it much, the Doctor couldn’t help but having a happy grin too as he stepped down to the other side of the control room, down to his bedroom.

The two, still lonely but not alone anymore, went their separate ways, not noticing at all the screen that came to life above the gears of the TARDIS and the grainy image of an eyepatch that appeared for seconds before disappearing back into the unknown from where it had come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY.
> 
> I'm so sorry that uploading another chapter took almost a whole year. I can blame it all on school, applying to college, mental health, writing other fics, and so many other things, but I still really do apologize for this taking so long. Hopefully, since I now have this fic planned out and have a little bit less stress in my life currently, I can make more headway on this fic in the next few months. I also will be updating Ecstasy of Domestic Crisis soon, having a master plan for that that I feel I can go through with as well.
> 
> Anyways, enough of my blabbering. Thank you so much for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment, kudo, or bookmark! All of these things got me going to finally deliver this chapter to you guys. 
> 
> Have a wonderful day, night, week, month, year, and beyond. Thanks for continuing to support this piece of work!


	5. Threatened

“So?” Clara asked excitedly, leaning into the console and gently pushing herself back and forth from the controls. “Where are we going today, Doctor?”

The Time Lord’s lips pulled into a slight smile after stealing a glance at his companion, but then quickly went back to pulling levers and pushing buttons, setting their course for today. Although he was still quite nervous about letting Clara and his unborn children outside of the safety of the TARDIS, they had agreed that traveling three times a week to fairly relaxing destinations would be the perfect way to maximize their security and yet continue with the adventures that Clara and him so desperately craved. “Sancta Magna,” the Doctor replied. “It used to be the planet of the holy parks of the Papal Mainframe. Only the clergy of the Church were allowed to use it. Imagine Earth’s Central Park, or Regent’s Park, except filled with state-of-the-art space facilities and covering the entire planet! And now, since the Papal Mainframe has found a better park planet, it now belongs to the people for everyone to enjoy!” The Gallifreyan pushed a square blue button for emphasis, making the TARDIS shudder to life.

The woman laughed, holding onto a bar underneath the console and looking in the Doctor’s direction. “That’s amazing. As long as it has good restrooms and some peanut butter cookies and ice cream, I’ll be perfect!”

“I’d bet there’s all of that there. I guess what I’ve really got to be thankful for is that your cravings are semi-reasonable,” the Time Lord agreed. He made a face. “Except for when you wanted greasy chips covered in Oreos and cherries.” The Doctor stuck out his tongue, then immediately chewing on his lip to prevent from grinning widely as Clara made an indignant noise.

“I was _hungry_ , okay,” she pouted. “I’m eating for _three_ , Doctor. _Three_. You’ve got to respect that.”

“Clara,” the Doctor said, face suddenly composed and so very, very sincere, as the time machine groaned to a stop. “I will do anything for you and your children.”

“ _Our_ children, you silly old man,” the woman said, scooting over to where the Doctor stood by the controls, and putting her hand over his.

The Gallifreyan’s cheeks quickly flushed beet red as the Doctor’s desperately tried to contort his face into a neutral expression. Finally, he sighed and smiled softly, taking Clara’s hand underneath his own and leading her to the TARDIS doors, then letting go and gesturing to the new world outside. “Welcome to Sancta Magna!” He announced.

Clara sucked in a breath as she took in the surroundings. As far as the eyes could see, bright almost neon green, perfectly manicured grass was spread around her. Species of almost every kind that she had ever seen in her travels were walking, biking, rollerblading and even hoverboarding over cement paths. Glass buildings stood proud and tall around the green areas, advertising themselves as museums and cafes. “It’s beautiful,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Well, it’s about to become even better,” the Time Lord said, his impossibly thick eyebrows perking up, ready to reveal his surprise as he went back to the time machine and momentarily stuck his hand inside, bringing out a woven basket. “I made a picnic!”

“No way,” his companion marveled, immediately rushing over to his side, peering in the basket and rooting through its contents. “You actually did this for me? And you said you weren’t my boyfriend!”

Almost instantly after she had said that, Clara knew that she had uttered the wrong thing. The Doctor’s face suddenly went stone cold and expressionless, trying to keep his composure, although she could see that tell-all red sink into his cheeks. “I’m not. J-just looking after you,” the Time Lord managed to choke out, looking absolutely disgusted at the mere thought of them being anything more than friends. Clara tried to keep her heart from doing a freefall in her chest, telling herself that of course, she hadn’t expected anything, she didn’t even _want_ to be more to him…

But although she didn’t dare admit it, out loud or otherwise, she knew that that was a bullshit lie.

Their walk to set up their picnic, apparently towards another park of Sancta Magna called Stillhet, as the Doctor so helpfully elaborated, was mostly silent. When the pair came to the park, the Doctor unfolded a red checkered blanket and brought out bread, some steak bites, a Caesar salad, and a smattering of peanut butter cookies and mint ice cream. And Clara, with all of her most recent favorite cravings spread out on a stereotypical blanket for a stereotypical romantic picnic, desperately ignored the part of her brain that was unhappy with the fact that the Time Lord was still hardly talking to her, merely mentioning the weather and exchanging thoughts on the scenery around them, where a rainbow plethora of space wildflowers was spread out as far as the eye could see. With the lack of stimulating conversation and anything else to do (and the fact that tiredness was now always a constant because of her pregnancy) Clara soon found herself drifting off to sleep, lying down on the blanket, stomach full. Feeling the miniscule movements of her children inside, the woman smiled softly and rubbed her small bump, wishing for rest for her babies too.

So when Clara woke up, and a bony hand grasped her shoulder so hard she was afraid it would be severed from her body, she was extremely startled. Looking behind her to glimpse three Silence, she immediately shrieked and tried to pull away, struggling with all her might.

She saw the Doctor wake up from his slumber and blink lazily for a second over the scene, before jumping to his feet instantaneously and whipping the sonic out of his pocket when he realized the danger before him. “Cover your ears!” The Gallifreyan yelled to her as he made the sonic screwdriver whir to a higher pitch. Grimacing, Clara felt the Silents release their grip and had just enough time to grab the Doctor’s hand as they sprinted through the grass back to the TARDIS. She could hear the Silence behind them, could feel the static of their strange, terrifying electricity came out of their hands, trying to zap the pair. The woman barely registered as the Doctor tugged her through the time machine’s doors and threw a lever on the console, making the TARDIS fade away from existence on Sancta Magna.

“Clara! Clara? Are you hurt? Are you okay? Clara, breathe with me. In, and out. In, and out. Come on,” the Time Lord stated in a calm, collected voice, in great contrast to Clara, who was suddenly having a hard time being able to get air into her lungs, feeling the grip of that one Silent still. The Doctor held out his hand to her, and she grasped it as a lifeline, until she was able to breathe normally again. “Wh-what hap- “

She was interrupted by the clang of the cloister bells, and the TARDIS lights went out, leaving the console room in pitch-black darkness, save for the red emergency lights. Clara and the Doctor turned around to the screen perched above the console, their eyes going wide as a Silent appeared on the device. “The Holy One commands you, Doctor,” the hollow voices rasped. “Give us Clara Oswald. Give us Her Gifts.”

With horror, Clara connected the dots. The Silence wanted her children. They somehow knew she was pregnant. And she knew, although vaguely, their terrifying history with hybrid Gallifreyans/humans. Frightened couldn’t even match the emotion that raced through her veins. “Doctor?” She screamed. “What’s going on?”

The Time Lord in question shouted back to her from the buttons of the console, desperately typing in symbols that the woman presumed meant he was trying to take back the TARDIS under his control. “Clara, run! Run as far into the TARDIS as you can! And don’t come back until you hear the cloisters shut off!”

“No! Let me help!” She petulantly grumped, although her body desperately screamed for her to run away exactly as he had told her to do so. “I’m not leaving- “

The time machine unexpectedly flipped on its side and Clara was thrown to the floor, the Doctor barely still gripping onto the console, furiously typing despite the abrupt movement. The Silence, she could see, were still on the console screen, repeating their mantra of the Holy One, wanting her and her Gifts. A part of the console, chipped off because of the impact, and Clara groaned as it ripped across the skin of middle stomach. Huddling into a ball, the woman desperately tried to shield her bump, oh god, her _children_ \- from any other debris, staying as still as she possibly could with the TARDIS shaking about.

After what felt like hours, the shuddering of the time machine stopped as the Doctor smashed his fist into a large button. As quickly as they had come, the Silence disappeared from the screen, the cloister bells cut off, and the time machine’s lights flicked back on. Clara felt the Time Lord squat and gently rubbed a hand on her back. “Clara, it’s okay. I figured out a way to crash their communications and location override of the TARDIS and dematerialize into the vortex. It’s highly, _highly_ unlikely that they’ll find us now, even when we land anywhere else. You can get up now.”

Wiping tears from her eyes, the woman nodded in understanding and gently extricated herself from her position on the floor, groaning as she got up and felt the scrape across her midriff sting. Scared at what damage she might find, Clara lifted up her light brown blouse and peeled off her mustard yellow sweater to get a good look at the large gash that stood out, bright red. “Doctor- “She gasped, starting to tear up again.

“It’s just a cut, Clara. A deep one, but it’s just a cut. It shouldn’t have done any damage. It shouldn’t- “He paused, clearly understanding the danger that they had just been in in its entirety for the first time. The danger of those babies, those four hearts already so imbedded in his, slipping out of their lives forever. The Doctor gulped. “It shouldn’t have harmed your- our- children.”

“Can you make sure?” Clara said, blinking her wide brown eyes, still wiping away tears.

The Time Lord nodded, and patted her back again, then using his hand to take her toward the infirmary, shutting his eyes tightly and then letting out a drawn-out sigh. “Let’s get that cut cleaned up and then check on the children, shall we?”

* * *

 The Doctor sat in the captain’s chair, spinning it from left to right, as he thought about the events that had transpired that afternoon. After leading Clara to the infirmary and cleaning up her wound, they had watched on his mobile medical sonogram equipment as the thudding of their kids’ hearts and tiny forms had filled the screen, seemingly in perfect bliss. Besides the twins leaping around a bit more than usual, likely because of all of the excitement that had gone underway, they were perfectly fine. The Time Lord grimaced, just glad that their children had not hit the point of development yet where he would have been able to sense their emotions. It was one thing to feel your own anguish, confusion, and fright, but quite a different thing to feel someone else’s. Especially somebodies as precious as the twins.

The Doctor stood up from the chair, suddenly resolute in his goal as he recalled guiding Clara to her bedroom, where she immediately slipped under the covers of her bed, only her face visible. He had kissed her cheek, and then had come back to the console. The Time Lord set his mouth in a hard line, bushy eyebrows furrowed. He was going to find out who these Silence were, and what exactly their business was with the mother of his children. The Oncoming Storm, The Destroyer of Worlds, was not going to stop in his search of not only the Silence, but the Holy One who wanted Clara. Who wanted his kids. He was going to find them, and put an end to their plans, once and for all.

It was unlikely, the Doctor thought as well, that he would show much mercy either.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing can stay danger-free forever in Doctor Who, can it?
> 
> God, as always, I am so sorry that it's taken such a long time to upload this next chapter. I had a hectic end of a senior year, dealt with some terrible mental illness issues, and only spent two weeks at home this summer. Now I've been in college (wtf!!) for almost a month and really just had the time to write this.
> 
> However, I am trying to write a lot in the ongoing months. Since I most likely will major in something where heavy amounts of writing are involved, I need all the practice I can get. Plus, I'd love to end my attachment to fandoms on the Internet once and for all, and to do that, I definitely need to get my fics done. 
> 
> On the horizon, look out for more chapters to this piece and The Ecstasy of Domestic Crisis. I additionally hope to finally write that "Clara was pregnant in the series 9 finale" fanfic. 
> 
> I'm also a huge fan of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and the Marvel comics/Marvel Netflix shows in general nowadays, so I'm working on some fics for that too! I'm very excited to branch out into that genre, and so thrilled to be writing my favorite character of all time, Matt Murdock.
> 
> Thank you, again as always, for supporting this fic and all my other works. Please give a kudo, like, comment, or bookmark! Hope you are all well. 
> 
> P.S. Can you find the Latin and Norwegian words? Cookies if you do.
> 
> Love you guys!


	6. Glow

Clara glanced around the scene in front of her, taking in every sensation that she possibly could. The smell of rain in the air, the sounds of bouncing balls and the feeling of water smacking her umbrella. Pulling her coat closer to her body as she felt a gust of cold wind, Clara listened to the laughter of the children that she had taught and loved for so long; children she was now abandoning to take care of her own babies. A strange shiver of pleasure and fright spiked through the woman at the thought as she continued to move through the courtyard. The concrete steps up to Coal Hill School had never felt so stiff and filled with purpose, Clara marveled, as she made her way to the headmaster’s office to submit her maternity leave notice.

It was the Doctor’s idea to do something so responsible, much to her surprise. While she had been living in the TARDIS for a couple of months at this point, they had managed to evenly split the time between dropping her off at Coal Hill to teach, going on adventures, and relaxing in the time machine. However, with Clara soon reaching the equivalent of being six months pregnant, her ankles and feet had begun to swell, backaches constantly haunted her, and while her morning sickness had all but disappeared, indigestion was still a major problem. Not to mention what with the dizzy spells that she frequently went through, teaching was becoming ever more of an obstacle. Clara, of course, had stubbornly argued with the Doctor weeks previous that she would “work at Coal Hill until her damn water broke”.

But reality had come to its true, frightening apex after their encounter with the Silence.  For a while, she had been sure that her babies were going to die along with her. Nothing had ever matched the feeling of panic that had coursed through her veins when the Silence had taken over the TARDIS, asking for her Gifts. It was at that moment that the actuality of her pregnancy had hit her the most. Clara was going to be a mum, no questions asked. Maybe it wasn’t at the right time, or with the most convenient person, but this was now her reality. It was her duty to protect her children and take care of herself. The Doctor had agreed, urging her to go to Coal Hill and do the deed. Besides, she thought, when had she last given herself a break from work? Even on rest days on that sentient time machine, Clara was always grading papers and coming up with lesson plans.  It was time to step back for a little while.

Before she knew it, she was standing right in front of Mr. Armitage’s office. Swallowing a gulp, she just hoped that he wouldn’t ask too many questions. Once her baby bump had become visible, Clara had been assaulted with questions of who the father was and stares at her protruding stomach and people awkwardly rubbing it without her permission. Thankfully, she had managed to drag the Doctor into a few conversations with her colleagues when he had come to pick her up in the TARDIS, and therefore could identify him as the father (something he always seemed flustered about- if she was definitely still getting used to being pregnant, he was getting used to being the dad). However, the questions that she had hoped to seal with her Time Lord beside her merely opened new inquiries of how she had met him, and whispers in the hallways from more of her petty peers who accused her of using him as a sugar daddy. All those chats, all of those mixed emotions, came flooding back to her as the secretary, who she had greeted at the door, led her to a chair in front of the headmaster’s desk.

Slowly, and rubbing her stomach as one of the twins decided to make a nasty kick, Clara sat in the chair. Though he was reading a newspaper as she had entered the room, as she soon as she had sat down, Mr. Armitage put it down and smiled her way. “Ah, Ms. Oswald!” He greeted. “Good to see you! And why have you come here today?”

“It’s good to see you too, Mr. Armitage,” the woman started off carefully. “Nothing is wrong, I just wanted to hand in my notice for maternity leave.” She slipped the filled-out forms to him across his desk.

“I see,” the portly man said, pausing for a moment to pick up the form, examine it, and take a quick glance at her belly before looking her in the eyes again. “Well, I was wondering when you would finally do that, after all! There were some serious bets that you’d work up until the day your water broke,” he chuckled.

“That’s exactly what my husband said,” Clara blurted, before gasping in surprise when she realized what she had just said. Yes, she and the Doctor hadn’t said one way or another whether they were married in conversation with her colleagues but now- _oh god_ , she had gone and done it.

And of course, Mr. Armitage had to comment on that development. “Oh how lovely, Clara! I didn’t know that you and that Doctor fellow had gotten married! Congratulations.”

“Well, um, we’re not married, exactly- we’re… uh, engaged! Yes, engaged! Not my husband yet, but soon will be!” God, why couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut?

“Spectacular news, then!” the headmaster continued. “I wish you all the best.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Clara sighed, defeated, sinking in her chair.

They spoke about her maternity leave spanning from the present until May, and release from any summer school class duties over the summer. They discussed how her leave would continue until next January, when she would start to teach classes again. But no matter how positive the talk between them was, a sick feeling settled in Clara’s stomach as she exited Mr. Armitage’s office with a hug and a wave goodbye to the secretary that wasn’t due to indigestion, or one of her babies moving around. Just one question rattled around her brain: what had possessed her to call the Doctor her husband? Their relationship was slowly growing closer, sure. It had to, what with the fact that they were soon to be parents to half human, half Gallifreyan children. But he had never once expressed any desire to be anything other than friends. Nothing more.

So why couldn’t she accept that? Why was she driven wild every time she saw him? She wanted to run her fingers through his grey curls, to be snuggled against his side, to fight dangerous aliens alongside him and be pressed together, body to body, moaning as he-

Clara blushed, red growing in her cheeks. Throwing those thoughts aside in shame, she quickly dialed the Doctor’s number on her phone. In seconds, the TARDIS appeared, and the woman had never been more grateful to walk through the doors of the time machine.

“How’d it go?” the Time Lord asked immediately as she stepped aside, putting his hands on her shoulder.

She fought to fight the flutter of giddy butterflies in her chest at the touch. “It went well. I’m officially on maternity leave.” She smiled. “Now I’ll be payed to relax and do nothing all day for the next nine months.”

“Who says you’ll be doing nothing? Who says resting isn’t important? As far as I’m concerned, you have a very important job as a human incubator and then breastmilk pump,” the Doctor deadpanned.

“Very funny,” Clara sarcastically fired back. “Unless you’re willing to carry these babies for me, I don’t think you can really make jokes about my position right now.”

The man shook his head in response, suddenly becoming very somber. “Trust me, Clara, I understand the pain you’re going through right now. But that pain- “he laid a hand on her stomach- “Will become our greatest pleasure.”

Before she could wipe the tears gathering in her eyes and formulate a response, the seriousness of his previous statement was wiped from the record as the Doctor plastered on his usual manic grin. “Let’s go to the library, shall we? I have a treat for us there. Come on,” he implored, taking off down the hallway, gesturing for her to follow him.

Her lips curled upwards in a half-smile, Clara nodded and walked (well, as best as she could, she wasn’t beyond admitting that she was almost to the waddling stage) with him to the library. Stepping in, the woman’s face lit up as she surveyed the tall ceilings and rows of books. No matter how many times she entered that room, it always managed to fill her with glee. What was an English teacher without her books, anyways?

“Over here,” the Doctor called around a corner. When she rounded it, her grin grew even wider at the sight of a large brown leather couch with two hot teas on the stand next to it.

“Just what I needed,” she sighed as she sunk into the leather, clutching a comfy throw pillow in one hand and her tea in the other. After a few sips of their respective teas in silence, Clara glanced at the Time Lord next to her, who, to her surprise, suddenly started to stroke her hair. Beaming, the woman used the opportunity of unusual affection to lean her head on his shoulder- and although the Doctor stiffened, she watched with amusement as a tiny smile lit up his face before becoming stoic again. Closing her eyes with the hot tea seemingly coursing through her veins, Clara had never felt so warm and safe in a long time. Drifting with the security, and succumbing to her usual pregnancy exhaustion, she fell asleep in a flash.

* * *

Only to be nearly shoved off the couch two hours later by the Doctor’s long limbs.

“Doctor, what…?” She snapped as she tried to readjust herself back on the couch and her embrace with the throw pillow. “What’s going on?”

“I… I heard… well, more like… felt… something and… I’m sorry, Clara, but can I-?” He gestured quickly in his gruff tone of voice to her stomach, but with a nervous red-hot flush in his cheeks.

Clara frowned. Although she had told him weeks ago that it was always fine, if he asked her permission, to touch her baby bump, the Doctor had still been avoidant of the gesture and embarrassed when she brought it up. “Of course, but…” However, before she asked him why, that epiphany came to light. “Doctor, are they reaching out to you?”

Her mind flitted back to weeks ago, when she had stumbled across the twins’ soon-to-be nursery. The Time Lord had said that one of the only things that was different from a Gallifreyan pregnancy to a human one, besides the length of gestation, was that sometime during her pregnancy, a child would begin to develop their telepathy, reaching out to touch the minds of their parents around the seventh or eighth month. And that was exactly where she was.

“Maybe, I’m not sure, but maybe. So, can I?” He again motioned towards her pregnant stomach.

“Yes, you silly old man,” Clara laughed. The man nodded, and cautiously, as if he was trying to contain his excitement and recognize the potential disappointment that might follow, the Time Lord lifted her blouse and closed his eyes, placing his hand on her bump. Within seconds, the woman heard him admit a gasp, and to her amazement saw what looked like tears developing in his eyes. “You can feel them, can’t you?” she asked.

“Oh, Clara… they’re…” Voice clogged with emotion, the Doctor soon stopped. “Can you not feel them too?”

“Um, no?” The woman replied. Nothing felt that different, besides the cool hand of the doctor on her stomach, all she could sense were a few hurried kicks that she was used to from the twins. “Maybe the whole telepathy thing doesn’t work for humans?”

The Time Lord frowned. “It should. Yes, maybe you won’t feel them to the extent that I do, but Gallifreyans, even partial ones, should still be able to establish a mental link with humans. Maybe…” He started to muse, but then cut himself off.

“What?” Clara demanded. “Doctor, tell me what you’re thinking.”

Emitting a sigh, the Doctor finally took his hand from her belly and looked her in the eyes. “The telepathic connection… maybe I need to jumpstart it. I’d have to connect your mind briefly with mine. If that’s okay?”

“Sure, yeah. If there are no pianos dropped on my brain, I guess,” the woman laughed.

“I promise, I’ll be safe.” The man said seriously, before raising his fingertips to both of her temples. “Ready?”

And as she nodded, sensations enveloped Clara in a cacophony of music and feeling that she had never felt before. Some beautiful melody echoed through her mind, while two meshes of light and colors from every spectrum of the rainbow came to her utmost attention. Two distinct bodies of feeling and thought that were emitting the most positive expression of unconditional love that she had ever sensed. She was sure her heart had skipped several beats as a sob forced its way through her throat. These were her children, reaching out to her, touching her mind, and making their presences known.

Basking in the glow of the thoughts and love of the twins, Clara barely registered that the Time Lord had taken his hands away from her temples and was now back to placing his hands on her bump. With the way that he was grinning, the woman knew he was experiencing, perhaps even more intensely, what she currently was feeling on her own now. “They’re beautiful, Doctor,” she finally managed to croak out amidst her sobs. “They’re wonderful.”

“Clara, they’re the most amazing, magnificent things I’ve felt in a long time,” the Doctor replied honestly, also choking down his tears to seemingly maintain some composure. “Thank you… I…” Abruptly, he pulled away his hands from her pregnant stomach, and stared at her. “I now realize more than ever that I have to protect this. Protect them. Protect us. I can’t…” He paused and then continued in a severe, serious tone. “I can’t lose any of you.”

Although it was hard to push aside in that moment the lovely thoughts of her babies, Clara managed to unexpectedly easily dampen the overwhelming euphoria of feeling to a distant corner of her mind and focus on the father of her children alone. “Doctor, I know you will do a fine job doing so. Just don’t meddle where you don’t belong, alright? Don’t rush into anything without thinking first. We’ll stay safe. I know you’ll protect me. And soon… well,” she smirked. “Soon we’ll have two beautiful children in our arms, keeping us up all hours of the night.”

“Newborn Gallifreyan children are usually remarkably sleepy and unfussy,” the Doctor mused, a lopsided smirk on his face matching her own.

“Tell me that again when I’m up at three in the morning,” Clara joked, before leaning onto his shoulder once again, finally resettling in her comfortable position the couch. “Now, can we go back to our children again?”

“Yes, Mam, I think you’ve earned it,” the Doctor quipped, and with another touch of his hand on her bump, the mother and father quietly marveled at the warm glow that once again enveloped them, better than after any cup of hot tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so much longer than planned, and I'm going to blame it as always, on school. College is hard, alright? 
> 
> Planning to get some more chapters out soon, however. Maybe even on other works. And hopefully even some brand new fics will be coming soon...
> 
> Thanks as always for following me along on this crazy ride. Please leave comments, favorites, and bookmark or follow! That's my primary motivation that keeps me writing! Much love, friends.


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